The university asked teaching departments and the library in charge to ensure that no books or other printed material are purchased from these authors or publishers. (File image)The University of Jammu on Wednesday ordered a “comprehensive audit and inspection” of all its libraries, offices and digital repositories to ensure that “no book or publication containing anti-national, separatist or objectionable content exists within the campus”.In a circular issued by the Registrar, the university asked all rectors, directors and heads of teaching departments, as well as the in-charge librarian of the Dhanvantri Library, to establish a “robust mechanism” to ensure that no books, journals, magazines or other publications containing anti-national, separatist or objectionable content are procured, distributed or made available in their offices, departments or libraries.Seeking submission of compliance reports to the University Registrar, the circular said a committee would be constituted to formulate a comprehensive standard operating procedure for the procurement of books and academic materials.This will include framing a stringent screening mechanism, along with periodic random scrutiny by a panel of academicians to prevent objectionable content from entering the university, as well as regular examination of the university’s websites and digital repositories.The circular also referred to the Jammu and Kashmir government’s order directing the withdrawal of two books from school libraries — Personalities and Legends of J&K and Great Personalities of Jammu and Kashmir — and the ban and blacklisting of authors Hilal Ahmed, Santosh Meena and Dr Sushant Giri, along with publishers Oberoi Book Service, Jammu, and Anurag Prakashan, Delhi.The university also asked teaching departments and the library in charge to ensure that no books or other printed material are purchased from these authors or publishers.The Indian Express had reported that Jammu University had procured one of the two books and that Personalities and Legends of J&K had been available in the library of its Political Science Department since 2022. The department had procured the 2017 edition of the book, published by Delhi-based Paradise Press. The book was withdrawn by the department last week.Story continues below this adThe book, which allegedly contained chapters glorifying separatist leaders and militants, was republished by Oberoi Book Service, Jammu, in 2024 and supplied to government-run school libraries under the Centrally sponsored Samagra Shiksha programme in Jammu and Kashmir.After the issue was raised by the BJP, Congress and other mainstream organisations, the government withdrew copies of the two books and suspended eight School Education Department officials. The counter-intelligence unit of the Jammu and Kashmir Police also registered an FIR and arrested three publishers.